Transcript American Anthropology

American
Anthropology
THE BEGINNING OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN AMERICAN
AND CORE CONCEPTS
Learning Objectives
1)
Develop a timeline for emergence of American
anthropology
2)
Recognize the influence of European scholars on
American anthropology
3)
Distinguish between early ideas of cultural and
biological variation and current understanding of
such processes. (Note: represents a course theme)
4)
Describe the scientific method and how it is used to
develop theories of cultural change and diversity.
Unlinear Evolutionism

‘Armchair’ Anthropologists
 [Note:
As emphasis on scientific methodology grew, both
methods and ‘theories’ were challenged]
Unlinear Evolutionism

Result of ‘Armchair’ Anthropology = _________
 __________________________________________
 Cultures
evolve in a ____________towards an
end ________________________________
 Cultural
traits have a __________________
Unlinear Evolutionism

Louis Henjry Morgan
Example:
Polynesians of the Solomon Islands
Unlinear Evolutionism

E. B. Tylor
Checkpoint:
What does ‘living fossils’ mean?
Unlinear Evolutionism Summary

Negative

Positive
Historical Particularism

Four-Field Approach
 Emphasized
 Focused
different __________
on demonstrating that _________
____________________________
Historical Particularism

Historical Particularism
 Emphasized
 Cultures
that _______________________________
should be ____________________________
 Methods
of cultural analysis = ____________
 Rejected
_______________________
Historical Particularism

Franz Boas -- Father of American Anthropology
 Cultures
_______________________________
 _____________________________________
 Emphasized
_______________
 Checkpoint:
How is diffusion defined in
cultural anthropology?
 ______________________________________
 Example:
Subsistence practice
Historical Particularism Summary

Negative

Positive
Functionalism
 Emphasizes
the ________________________________
 Challenged
 Important
both __________________________
scholars:
 Malinowski
(Father of Ethnography)
 Radcliffe-Brown
Functionalism

Malinowski, a Functionalist because of:
 _______________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________
 _________________
 Cultural
customs are____________________________
Structural Functionalism

Radcliffe-Brown
 Role
that _______________________________________
 Theoretical
category of _______________________
 Culture
& cultural practices ________________, which is
maintained by the _____________________________
 Viewed
_________________________________________
Functionalism

Functionalism – Still Present in Anthropology
 Despite
challenges to the general theme, a
form of functionalism is still a very active
perspective in anthropology
 “…there
are social & cultural systems and that
their elements…are functionally related so that
they covary,” (Kottak, 2013, p.65)
Configurationalism
 Culture
viewed ______________________________
 Pulled from both ___________________________________
 ________________
is not automatic
 ___________________________________________
 Considered
to be part of ________________
anthropology
 Scholars:
Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead
Interpretive
Anthropology

Geertz

_______________________________

____________________________________

Known for his 1973 Balinese cockfighting essay
Structuralism

Levi-Strauss
 Idea
of structuralism evolved over time
 ______________________,
giving shape to seemingly
disparate cultures and creations
 Main
universal structure = ___________________________
 Used
___________________to emphasis his point
 Underlying
________________________
Various Theoretical Perspectives – 20th century
Scholar
Theoretical School of Thought
Morgan
Unilinear Evolutionism
Tylor
Unilinear Evolutionism
Boas
Historical Particularism, Father of American Anthropology
Malinowski
Functionalism, Father of Ethnography
Radcliffe-Brown
Structural Functionalism
Benedict
Configurationalism, Student of Boas
Mead
Configurationalism, Student of Boas
White
Neoevolution
Steward
Neoevolution, specifically Cultural Ecology
Harris
Cultural Materialism
Durkheim
Conscience collectif, or ‘Collective Consciousness’
Turner
Symbolic Anthropology
Douglas
Symbolic Anthropology
Geertz
Interpretive Anthropology
Levi-Strauss
Structuralism
Scientific method

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________
Scientific method

What is a hypothesis?

___________________

.
___________________
Scientific method
 Hypotheses
are subject
to _______________
Must
be _________
_________________
_________________
Scientific method

What is a theory?

___________________

Can you think of an example of a theory?
.
Scientific method

Induction


___________________
Deduction

___________________
Scientific method
Four steps:

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________